Paper short abstract:

I analyze how the extended use of online technologies by Russian Baptists during the pandemic contributed to the construction of the narrative I call eschatological tranquility—an easy adaptation to the unprecedented circumstances of the global crisis based on the literal reading of the Bible.

Paper long abstract:

The COVID-19 pandemic affected all parts of Russian society, including religious groups. The Church of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (ECB) also faced lockdowns, closures of houses of prayer, and the transfer of Sunday services (and most other ministries) online.

Church members reacted to the pandemic and to the challenges it brought about differently. However, most believers recognized the reality of the virus, its threat to health and life, and the necessity of taking measures, although different views on particular restrictions and regulations remain even now.

Believers promptly adapted to the new circumstances of full or partial restrictions on their church life. They did not just expand their already active use of online technologies, but found new advantages and opportunities in it, such as protection of the elderly, more evangelical outreach, and permanent availability of fellowship. Moreover, their active use of technology contributed to their eschatological tranquility—the relatively easy adaptation, emotionally and practically, to the unprecedented situation of the global crisis.

In my paper, I discuss how the ECB literalist reading of the Bible helps construct the narrative of eschatological tranquility and how the use of online technologies helps legitimize it. My paper is focused on believers' reflections on the pandemic and its consequences in the framework of their everyday practical theologies. During my last fieldtrip, in July 2021, I was asking whether they considered the pandemic a sign of the end times and if it would cause significant changes in evangelizing and missionary work.